A/N: This chapter was prompted by Harmonious Wolf – thank you!

"Uh, so—"

"What, Moon?"

Needless to say, she was furious. "I let you take control of my life for one day," she huffs, "and it just has to turn into a secret family reunion."

He's never seen her quite so incensed before, and as much as he's trying to push the thought away, it's kind of hot – sexy, even. It's not every day that Austin Moon uses the word sexy to describe his best friend. He blinks in order to regain his mental innocence. To put it bluntly, he can always fantasize later.

"Well, don't blame me," he whines defensively. He lets a hint of gentleness lace his voice because she's majorly upset and he doesn't want to aggravate her further. "You agreed to it."

But she's already moved on to deeper topics. "I wonder why he didn't recognize me. I mean, I look pretty much the same as I did when I was fourteen…" Austin doesn't think so, but he keeps quiet.

"Of course, there's no way I could have realized it was Uncle Chester. He—" and she raises an eyebrow to emphasize her point, "—he seems a lot older now, and not as well-groomed, I guess—and really, all I knew was that my uncle disappeared two years ago."

"Why?" He's actually curious, because—and he'll never admit this—he sees himself reflected in Chester Dawson's past.

"Oh, something about his girlfriend breaking up with him," she sighed. "He was devastated."

"I'll bet," he muttered.

"It's kind of romantic, actually," and her eyes lidded dreamily. "You know, becoming a recluse upon rejection. It's such a statement…it's just like, I won't love anyone if I can't love you."

"Uh-huh," he agrees. His voice wavers ever so slightly, but he doesn't stop to think about it.

"I'm going to find him again," she continues. "I'm going to find Uncle Chester and—I don't know—do something nice for him, I guess. Uh—"

"He could perform in the park or something," Austin offers absentmindedly.

"That's it, Austin! You could perform with my uncle!" She glances up at him with warm, appreciative, loving eyes and his heart staggers and hiccups in his chest.

"Sure," he breathes, and he doesn't know what he's signing up for because he's still dazed.

:::

"Hello again," says Jack from Eleventh Avenue.

"Hey, Uncle Chester," greets Ally, but there's an edge to her voice.

Chester seems unfazed, because he nods heartily and bows to an imaginary audience. "Chester 'Chest Hair' Dawson at your service," he jokes. "How's my favorite niece?"

"I'm good," she quips. "Thanks for asking."

"You know, I should say, 'Oh, you've grown so much!' But I'm not about to embarrass you in front of your boyfriend."

"Not my boyfriend," she sighs. It's supposed to be an exasperated sigh, but instead it comes out almost reluctantly.

Her uncle just grins at Austin's flustered expression before continuing, "So, what do you two want from me?"

:::

"Why, hello Miami!" Chester Dawson's voice booms out from the speakers encircling the park's central platform. The new duo is faced with a tremendous, appreciative roar from the audience, and Austin relishes in its sheer power.

"I'm Jack," says the elder Dawson, and Jack still sounds foreign because it's his proper pseudonym. "And this is Austin Moon."

Austin resists the urge to tack on, that's my wonderful songwriter behind the curtains.

"Today," Chester yells, "Austin has something to say."

"Uh—"

"Get the girl," Chester hisses. "Confess your eternal love for my niece!"

Austin stares blankly at the gray streaks in Chester's beard before finally registering what he has just been instructed to do. He laughs nervously, and the microphone clipped to the inside of his shirt picks up and amplifies the sharper pitches.

"He-e-e-y, Miami," he croaks. "I'm in love with my songwriter."

The crowd hushes immediately, and he hears a stifled gasp from backstage.

I didn't go into detail on the actual performance… but I still adhered to the main idea of the prompt, right? I hope you enjoyed this! Please consider leaving a few words – I won't pass up an opportunity to hone my skills! Thanks a bunch.